Grace Longino

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Grace M. (Crawford) Longino Cox was a graduate of SHNI and long-time employee of SHSU.

She was married to William Longino, a professor of foreign languages. Following his death, and after the campus was denounced as being one of the worst appearing college campuses in the state, SHSU President Harmon Lowman hired Grace as campus beautician. During this time she also taught a botany course.

Prior to her employment she had been president of the Huntsville Garden Club (c.1944) and attended her own gardens. She created the outdoor Jewel Garden in 1948 as a way to beautify the muddy western slope of Austin Hall.

Following her on-campus employment, Longino accepted a job as director of the Sam Houston State Museum and park. She served in that role from 1953 to 1972.

Longino is also credited with creating the Margaret Houston Birthday Party in 1959 as well as saving the Moeller pipe organ originally housed in Old Main. Having been moth-balled by the 1950s, Longino sought funding to restore the organ which was eventually housed in the family wing of the museum routunda building before moving to the Peabody Library in 2007.